Tuesday, March 18, 2014

Narender Modi and his three Friends

Narender Modi and his three Friends
Syed Ali Mujtaba

There are three friends of BJP’s Prime Ministerial candidate Narender Modi. They are Tilak (Brahmins), Taraju (Banya) and Talwar (RSS). All are backing the RSS Prcharck to the hilt in the general election 2014.

It remains to be seen how rest of the nation respond to the hype and hoopla and the media blitzkrieg build by these three friends of Modi in this parliamentary elections. The topic of debate is will the aspiration of the common man may get steamrolled by the Modi’s juggernaut or will they weather the storm. It is a tale for another day, right now it’s story time of Narender Modi and his three friends.

In 1984 the Dalit leader Kanshi Ram who founded the BSP coined the slogan “Tilak, Taraju aur Talwar, inko maro joote char.” This was to awaken the dalits in India. His three montages were the euphemism of the exploitative symbols in the country. The Tilak represented the Brahmin caste, the head, the Taraju, the Baniya caste or the stomach and the Talwar the Rajputs caste, sword arm i.e force.

These are actually symbolic groups and not the act
ual caste identity as some may think. What the Dalit leader meant were the exploitative characteristics that lay hidden behind these symbols.

The Tialk, according the BSP leader meant all those who are cunning foxes, all time scheming to remain near power. This class never sits on the actual hot seat of power but prefers to remote control it, irrespective of the figurehead.

The Taraju, is the class that worship money and whose sole purpose is to make profit. They align with the political forces that can help them increase their wealth and resources.

The third category is ‘Talwar’ that believes in the strong arm tactics to achieve the political power. They do so by creating wedge in the society spilling lot of blood and gore.

In the run up to the general election 2014, it appears that all these three forces have combined together in support of Narender Modi. The story of Modi and his three Friends is a story of these three symbols of exploitation that is turning the wheels of his juggernaut.

In the context of 2014 general elections, the Talwar is not the Rajputs but the Rastriya Sevak Sangh (RSS) that has come out in the open to test the electoral waters keeping Narender Modi as its popular face. RSS has a captive vote of 5 to 6 percent that can swell in numbers in favorable times.

The cultural organization that aspires to make India as a Hindu Rashtra, thrives on the idea of “We Vs Them.” It is their involvement in communal riots has earned them the euphemism of ‘Talwar’ in the ensuing election.

The neckerwals are actually the foot soldiers in the vote Modi campaign. As part of the organization’s discipline, all the Nathuram Godses have to be present at their Parcharak meetings and its is their overwhelming presence in the public meetings that is creating awe and admiration for Narender Modi.

It remains to be seen how the general voters responds to the Modi’s hype built by the RSS cadre. Will they be part of the herd mentality that has camouflaged them, or they will respond differently to their alibi?

The second friend of Narender Modi is the ‘Taraju’, or the Baniya class. They comprise of the shopkeepers, traders, retailers and other such business class that have an urban base. It is the most influential friend of Narender Modi and many among them are RSS sympathizer. They have opened their coffers for the vote Modi campaign. They belong to the same community as Narender Modi and are in the game of making him the first Baniya Prime Minister of India.

This class knows that their investment will be returned with huge profit, if Narender Modi becomes the Prime Minister. It is the money power of this class that is making most of the sound. Will the common voters get lured to their tricks or will they raise above their bait is to be seen when they go out to press the EVMs.

The third friend of Modi is Tilak or the cunning foxes. In popular gossip it is said that if you see a Brahmin and a snake, kill the former first, as it is more dangerous than the snake. No matter who is the ruler, this class has controlled the strings of political power since time immemorial.

Even though they are electorally insignificant they have demonstrated how even electoral minority can rule the country of teeming millions.

It is this class that controls the media outlets and shapes the opinion through their pulp fictions. A head count in these shops of knowledge will reveal their presence in an overwhelming manner.

This opportunist class makes a lethal combo with the moneyed category. The proverbial Brahmin- Banaya combination is the most fearsome symbol of exploitation since antiquity.

This Tilak class is known for backing the rising sun and like to remain close to the power base no matter who may be the figurehead.

This third friend of Modi, is adding zest to his campaign. They love to rub the butter on the right side of the toast and right now are gung-ho about vote Modi campaign. It remains to be seen how much the Tilak factor can influence the common voters and persuade them to accept Narender Modi as the Prime Minister of India.

The Lok Sabha election 2014 will be unique in many senses. It is for the first time witnessing the assertion of the three forces; Tilak (Brahmins), Taraju (Banya) and Talwar (RSS) in the electoral process in India. This will be an election between rest of the nation Vs the three friends of Modi.

Notwithstanding the facts, at this moment the Modi juggernaut is rolling. In this the three friends of Modi, Tilak, Taraju aur Talwar, are making most of the sound. How much the common voters will be influenced by the persuasive skills of these three actors that is controlling the electioneering campaign.

Well this is something that will be known only after the elections and not before it. If they triumph, that will be a story to be told on another day.

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Syed Ali Mujtaba is a journalist based in Chennai. He can be contacted at syedalimujtaba@yahoo.com

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About Me

Syed Ali Mujtaba is a media trainer, visual communicator, journalist and documentary film maker. He is Principal National College of Design, Chennai. He has taken M Phil & PhD along with MA in History and MA in Journalism and Mass Communication. He has qualified National Education Test NET. He is author of two books and has made two documentary films.He has about 10 years of working experience in the media industry and has about 10 years of teaching experience of Media Studies. He was a Jefferson Fellow at East West Center, Hawaai. He has been to US, UK, South Korea, Vietnam, Singapore and Nepal. He is widely read journalist and writes for national and international media. His interest is in media related activities.